Two HOBs and a canister filter?

[OutbackJack]

Unfortunately, I am one of those folks who didn't read enough before buying a canister filter. I now understand why you can't trust the "for aquariums up to XXX gallons".

So when I got my 150 gallon, I bought a Fluval FX2 and it does okay. Water's okay but not as clean as I'd like. (Fortunately my water parameters are pretty good)

However, I don't know if I can shell out the cash for a FX4 or FX6. What I was thinking was I could buy two Top Fin Pro 110s (500 GPH each). So that with my fluval, sponge filter, and two HOBs, I'd be pushing 8x turnover rate.

I already planned on circulation. Keeping the output hose of my canister on the far side of the tank so it pushes water to the HOBs and canister filter intake.

Is this a doable idea?

 

[Jexnell]

I have ran 125gal tanks with four different setups.
2 hobs
1 cannister
2 hobs 1 cannister
2 hobs 2 cannister

The real question is number and type of fish.
Some fish are just sloppy pigs and others leave behind nothing as if they are not even in the tank.
But generally speaking having three different filters is a good thing. If one fails you still have the others working while the broken one is getting repaired/replaced. Also good as your beneficial bacteria are spread out more and won't kill off as much during filter maintenance reducing the chance of a mini cycle if you get too crazy during maintenance.

 

[duanes]

To me, (beside stocking levels) its about how often we clean our filters that determine their effectiveness (or not).

If the back of the tank is lined with half dozen HOBs, and you clean one of them daily,..... that's a reasonable system, because you are constantly removing the stuff that produces chemical pollutants, and actually removing it from the water colum of a closed systemn.

If however, you have 2 HOBs and a canister, but they are seldom cleaned (maybe once per month), then all that stuff sequestered in the filters is just constantly cycling chemical pollutants back thru the tank.

To me a couple HOB filters where you regularly remove detritus from the system are heads and tails above a can that basically just sweeps it under the rug,
Sure some of it is processed in the can, but what is it processed into (the result of metabolism, is nitrate). A chronic toxin.
Exposure to Nitrate Increases Susceptibility to Hypoxia in ...The University of Chicago Press: Journalshttps://www.journals.uchicago.edu › doi
All you need to do a check nitrates, if the can is spewing them back in the tank, and they are high (above 5 ppm), the only other alternative is doubling or tripling water changes, not more cans.

 

[OutbackJack]

To me, (beside stocking levels) its about how often we clean our filters that determine their effectiveness (or not).

If the back of the tank is lined with half dozen HOBs, and you clean one of them daily,..... that's a reasonable system, because you are constantly removing the stuff that produces chemical pollutants, and actually removing it from the water colum of a closed systemn.

If however, you have 2 HOBs and a canister, but they are seldom cleaned (maybe once per month), then all that stuff sequestered in the filters is just constantly cycling chemical pollutants back thru the tank.

To me a couple HOB filters where you regularly remove detritus from the system are heads and tails above a can that basically just sweeps it under the rug,
Sure some of it is processed in the can, but what is it processed into (the result of metabolism, is nitrate). A chronic toxin.
Exposure to Nitrate Increases Susceptibility to Hypoxia in ...The University of Chicago Press: Journalshttps://www.journals.uchicago.edu › doi
All you need to do a check nitrates, if the can is spewing them back in the tank, and they are high (above 5 ppm), the only other alternative is doubling or tripling water changes, not more cans.

Oh, okay. That makes a lot of sense. Yea, I clean my filters every Saturday or Sunday night with a good substrate vacuuming. Also a 20% water change. (I can't wait to get another pump again so it makes life easier lol) Currently using BDBS, which was a godsend when compared to actual aquarium sand prices. (I ran a magnet over and through all of it with a thorough cleaning).

We keep my fiancée's tank pristine and I want my water to look the same lol

 

[OutbackJack]

I have ran 125gal tanks with four different setups.
2 hobs
1 cannister
2 hobs 1 cannister
2 hobs 2 cannister

The real question is number and type of fish.
Some fish are just sloppy pigs and others leave behind nothing as if they are not even in the tank.
But generally speaking having three different filters is a good thing. If one fails you still have the others working while the broken one is getting repaired/replaced. Also good as your beneficial bacteria are spread out more and won't kill off as much during filter maintenance reducing the chance of a mini cycle if you get too crazy during maintenance.

Ah, thanks for the info. I knew it had to be feasible but sometimes, the internet overloads you with information when the solution is simple lol

 

[duanes]

To me pristine, is an undetectable nitrate level, so for me a 90% to 120% water change peer week is the norm on my 300vgal system.

 

[Hybridfish7]

My 125 is currently running an ac110 with eheim substrat, 2 of those big double sponges, and a bootleg bactosurge 70. There is one female umbee in the tank, I do waterchanges every two weeks and my nitrates are 20.

 

[neutrino]

There are many workable theories and approaches to filtration, so it's basically useless debating with people, but I'm squarely in the camp of every tank is different and a lot of different things affect it, so do what works for you. For me there's virtually always a sweet spot for filter capacity that gets the job done-- 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, low nitrates, clear looking water-- without going overboard. With my typically light to moderately stocked tanks, large weekly water changes, and without messy fish (like Oscars) or big waste producers (some, but not all, plecos) it's frequently half what the "up to" numbers say, in other words for a 125 gal tank I'd have minimum 250 gals worth of filtration, more for a heavier stocked tank.

I've used different filtration schemes over the years and each of them worked, including having a canister + a fast hang on filter (or two), with the canister set up primarily for bio and the hang-ons primarily for mechanical, letting me clean the hang-ons weekly and the canister less often. (how often to clean a filter is also a matter of opinion since it also varies according to your setup and other factors) There's a lot of convenience to a good hang-on filter in terms of maintenance, but these days I like my tanks as silent as possible, so I rarely use them anymore. (an alternative is having one canister optimized for bio and another for water polishing. Also, by virtue of their design, media, and water flow, some canisters tend to be better at water clarifying, the FXs are often this way with all the sponge media, but if you clean them once a week it's going to mitigate this a bit.

(Also, sometimes it's surprising how changing the media arrangement or maintenance interval in a filter makes it more efficient.)

 

[jjohnwm]

As stated by neutrino , there are simply too many variables at play for anyone to simplify the answer to a straightforward yes or no.

Doable? Of course it's doable. I'm sure that many people are quite successful with this type of set-up.

IMHO, if the filters are sized appropriately for the tanks and the bioloads, then a tank with 2 HOB's and a canister...would be almost as successful as the same tank with just the 2 HOB's, but nowhere near as well filtered as the same tank with 3 HOB's, or 2 HOB's plus a sponge filter.

Yeah...I don't like canisters...

 

[OutbackJack]

I appreciate all the info, suggestions, and help yall have given me. I picked up an aquaclear 110 after reading reviews and whatnot. After installing it and letting it run for a few hours, it's made a good bit of difference. Plus my fish seem to enjoy the extra current it spits out lol the canister filter is very nice and I really like how it operates but I'm a simple man; I enjoy simplicity. The HOB 110 is really effective for being what it is.